éléphant blanc

\e.le.fɑ̃ blɑ̃\

/\e.le.fɑ̃ blɑ̃\/ noun

The verdict

“éléphant blanc” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
14
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Un éléphant albinos.

Corpus desk

Index FR-elephant-blanc · éléphant blanc · French

éléphant blanc · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 14 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "É" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for éléphant blanc
PropertyValue
Headwordéléphant blanc
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\e.le.fɑ̃ blɑ̃\
Letters14
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « éléphant blanc » en français

éléphant blancn'entre pas dans le top 100.000 du français: zone de termes techniques, archaïques ou rares.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

éléphant blanc is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \e.le.fɑ̃ blɑ̃\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for éléphant blanc in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is éléphant blanc, spelled É-L-É-P-H-A-N-T- -B-L-A-N-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Un éléphant albinos.
  2. 2
    Ouvrage ou construction monumentale très coûteuse s’avérant peu nécessaire.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how éléphant blanc appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Un rare éléphant blanc est né fin juillet dans une région de l’ouest de la Birmanie, a annoncé ce mercredi un média d’État.
  2. Ça fait cinq ans que la Ville travaille sur ce dossier-là. Ils ne trouvent pas de restaurateurs, et ils courent après un entrepreneur pour construire leur hôtel, mais ça va nous coûter combien de plus pour voir des jobs, à part celles de la Ville ? Est-ce qu’on va de nouveau se ramasser avec un éléphant blanc ?

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "éléphant blanc"?
"éléphant blanc" is spelled É-L-É-P-H-A-N-T- -B-L-A-N-C. The IPA pronunciation is \e.le.fɑ̃ blɑ̃\.
What does "éléphant blanc" mean?
As a noun, "éléphant blanc" means: Un éléphant albinos.
How do you pronounce "éléphant blanc"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "éléphant blanc" is \e.le.fɑ̃ blɑ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "éléphant blanc" come from?
"éléphant blanc" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list